Understanding "የጌታ ወንድሞችና እኅቶች" in the Holy Bible: EOTC Perspective III

In Parts I and II of this essay, we examined the term "ወንድሞቹስ" found in Matthew 13:54-55, which says: "እናቱስ ማርያም ትባል የለምን? ወንድሞቹስ ያዕቆብና ዮሳ ስምዖንም ይሁዳም አይደሉምን?" We clarified that this term refers to the children of Mary, the wife of Cleophas (Alphaeus), rather than Mary, the mother of Christ. In this third part, we explore the different types of brotherhood (ወንድማማችነት) described in the Holy Bible.

The Bible identifies four types of brotherhood:

1. Sibling by Birth (በመወለድ ወንድምነት): This type of brotherhood involves sharing the same mother and father. Examples include Jacob and Esau (ያዕቆብና ኤሳው)  (Genesis 25:23-28), the twelve sons of Jacob (Genesis 35:22-26), and the apostles Andrew and Peter (John 1:41).
2. Brotherhood by Clan (የወገን ወንድምነት): Here, brotherhood is based on belonging to the same clan. The Israelites, for example, are referred to as brothers due to their descent from Abraham. “እናንተ ወንድሞቻችን፥ የአብርሃም ዘር ልጆች ከእናንተ መካከልም እግዚአብሔርን የምትፈሩ ሆይ፥ ለእናንተ የዚህ የመዳን ቃል ተላከ።” (Acts 13 : 26).

 "አንተም ወንድምህን ዕብራዊውን ወይም ዕብራዊቱን ብትገዛ ስድስት ዓመት ያገልግሉህ።" (Deuteronomy 15:12)

"የወንድምህ በሬ ወይም በግ ጠፍቶ ብታይ ቸል አትበል፤ ወደ ወንድምህ መልሰው።" (Deuteronomy 22:1)

"አምላክህ እግዚአብሔር የመረጠውን በላይህ ታነግሣለህ፤ ከወንድሞችህ መካከል የሆነውን በአንተ ላይ ንጉሥ ታነግሣለህ፤ ወንድምህ ያልሆነውን ከሌላ ወገን ሰው በላይህ ንጉሥ ታደርግ ዘንድ አይገባህም።. (Deuteronomy 17:15)

3. Brotherhood by Flesh (በሥጋ ዝምድና ወንድምነት): This type refers to kinship or close family relations. For instance, Lot is called Abraham's brother, though he is technically his nephew (የወንድም ልጅ) (Genesis 12:3-5, 13:8, 14:12-14).

Similarly, as stated in Mark 15:40-41 “ከእነርሱም በገሊላ ሳለ ይከተሉትና ያገለግሉት የነበሩ መግደላዊት ማርያም የታናሹ ያዕቆብና የዮሳም እናት ማርያም ሰሎሜም ነበሩ።” and in John 19:25 “ነገር ግን በኢየሱስ መስቀል አጠገብ እናቱ ፣ የእናቱም እኅት የቀለዮጳም ሚስት ማርያም ፣ መግደላዊት ማርያም ቆመው ነበር”, as well as in Matthew 13:54-55 “…ወንድሞቹስ ያዕቆብና ዮሳ ስምዖንም ይሁዳም አይደሉምን?”, James the Less (ታናሹ ያዕቆብ), Jude (ይሁዳ), Simeon (ስምዖን), and Joses (ዮሳ), the sons of Mary, the sister of the Virgin Mary, are refred to as brothers of Jesus due to their close kinship.

4. Brotherhood of Love (የፍቅር ወንድምነት): This type of brotherhood signifies spiritual unity, as seen in verses like Psalm 133:1, "ወንድሞች በኅብረት ቢቀመጡ፥ እነሆ፥ መልካም ነው፥ እነሆም፥ ያማረ ነው።"

 John 20:17: "ገና ወደ አባቴ አላረግሁምና አትንኪኝ፤ ነገር ግን ወደ ወንድሞቼ ሄደሽ..."

Psalm 22:22: “ስምህን ለወንድሞቼ እነግራቸዋለሁ፥ በጉባኤም መካከል አመሰግንሃለሁ።"

Saint Paul also states, “አሁን ግን ወንድሞች ከሚባሉት አንዱ ሴሰኛ ወይም ገንዘብን የሚመኝ ወይም ጣዖትን የሚያመልክ ወይም ተሳዳቢ ወይም ሰካር ወይም ነጣቂ ቢሆን ከእርሱ ጋር እንዳትተባበሩ እጽፍላችኋለሁ፤ እንደነዚህ ካለው ጋር መብል እንኳን አትብሉ።" (1 Cor. 5:11)

In conclusion, the term "ወንድሞች" in the Bible can have multiple meanings based on its context and does not always denote sibling brothers. Understanding these distinctions requires careful interpretation and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which helps to reveal the deeper mysteries and insights of the Scriptures.

Understanding "የጌታ ወንድሞችና እኅቶች" in the Holy Bible: EOTC Perspective II

In Part I of this essay, we explored the term "ወንድሞቹስ" in Matthew 13:54-55, where the Bible says: "እናቱስ ማርያም ትባል የለምን? ወንድሞቹስ ያዕቆብና ዮሳ ስምዖንም ይሁዳም አይደሉምን?" We clarified that this term refers to the children of Mary, the wife of Cleophas, not Mary, the mother of Christ. In this essay, we will explore this focus in depth.

The Holy Bible mentions only two apostles named ያዕቆብ (James): "የዘብዴዎስ ልጅ ያዕቆብ" (James, the son of Zebedee) and "የእልፍዮስ ልጅ ያዕቆብ" (James, the son of Alphaeus) (Matt 10፡ 2-5). St. Mark distinguishes James, the son of Alphaeus, as "James the Less (ታናሹ ያዕቆብ)," to set him apart from James, the son of Zebedee “…ያገለግሉት የነበሩ መግደላዊት ማርያም የታናሹ ያዕቆብና የዮሳም እናት ማርያም ሰሎሜም ነበሩ::”(Mark 15:40-41). There is no third James among the apostles. If there were, Saint Mark would not have needed to specify James the Less (ታናሹ ያዕቆብ) to differentiate him from James the son of Zebedee. The terms "ታናሽ" and "ታላቅ" are used to differentiate between two, not three.

In Galatians 1:19, St. Paul writes: "ከጌታ ወንድም ከያዕቆብ በቀር ከሐዋርያት ሌላ አላየሁም," indicating that the James he met was James the Less, who is the Son of Alphaeus. This is because, James, the son of Zebedee, who was the brother of John had already been martyred by Herod (Acts 12:2፣ Mark 1:19, 3: 17, 10:35 ). This reinforces that there is no third James among the apostles.

In comparing Mark 15:40-41 “ሴቶችም ደግሞ በሩቅ ሆነው ይመለከቱ ነበር፤ ከእነርሱም በገሊላ ሳለ ይከተሉትና ያገለግሉት የነበሩ መግደላዊት ማርያም የታናሹ ያዕቆብና የዮሳም እናት ማርያም ሰሎሜም ነበሩ።”  and John 19:25, “ነገር ግን በኢየሱስ መስቀል አጠገብ እናቱ ፣ የእናቱም እኅት የቀለዮጳም ሚስት ማርያም ፣ መግደላዊት ማርያም ቆመው ነበር” we find that Mary, the wife of Cleophas (or Alphaeus), is also the mother of James the Less. Though Cleophas and Alphaeus are written differently, they refer to the same person. Using multiple names for the same person was a common practice in Hebrew culture as stated in Exodus 18:6, Judges 6:32, John 1:43, etc.

However, the Virgin Mary is never referred to as the mother of James, Jose, and Jude anywhere in the Bible.

In summary, the "brothers of the Lord—የጌታ ወንድሞች" mentioned in the scriptures are the children of Cleophas (Alphaeus) and Mary, the sister of the Virgin Mary, making them cousins of Christ. It was customary for the Jews to refer to cousins as brothers, a tradition also observed in Ethiopia, which embraced the Judaic faith before Christianity.

 

Orthodox Christian Ethics and Brutal Violence (ጭካኔ የተሞላበት ጥቃት)

Orthodox Christian Ethics unequivocally condemns all forms of violence (ጥቃት), particularly those that harm the most vulnerable members of society, such as children. The teachings of the Church emphasize love and compassion urging believers to lead lives that reflect the example of Jesus Christ. Acts of brutal violence, such as child rape and murder, are considered grave sins, violating both the moral law and the natural order of creation. Humanity, created in the image of God, is called to a higher standard of behavior, one that reflects God's love and holiness.

The Bible strongly condemns violence and advocates the sanctity of life.

Genesis 1:27 declares that humans are created in the image of God: "እግዚአብሔርም ሰውን በመልኩ ፈጠረ፤ በእግዚአብሔር መልክ ፈጠረው፤ ወንድና ሴት አድርጎ ፈጠራቸው።" This foundational belief in the divine image underscores the inherent dignity of every human being.

The commandment "አትግደል" (Exodus 20:13) clearly prohibits murder, emphasizing the sanctity of life.

In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus deepens the understanding of this commandment: ""ለቀደሙት፦ አትግደል እንደ ተባለ ሰምታችኋል፤ የገደለም ሁሉ ፍርድ ይገባዋል።እኔ ግን እላችኋለሁ፥ በወንድሙ ላይ የሚቆጣ ሁሉ ፍርድ ይገባዋል፤ ወንድሙንም ጨርቃም የሚለው ሁሉ የሸንጎ ፍርድ ይገባዋል፤ ደንቆሮ የሚለውም ሁሉ የገሃነመ እሳት ፍርድ ይገባዋል።" This teaches that not only murder but also the anger and hate that lead to it are sinful.

Matthew 18:6 strongly warns against harming children: "በእኔም ከሚያምኑ ከነዚህ ከታናናሾቹ አንዱን የሚያሰናክል ሁሉ፥ የወፍጮ ድንጋይ በአንገቱ ታስሮ ወደ ጥልቅ ባሕር መስጠም ይሻለው ነበር።" This verse highlights the severity of leading a child into harm, equating it to a grave offense before God.

Romans 13:9-10: "አታመንዝር፥ አትግደል፥ አትስረቅ፥ በውሸት አትመስክር፥ አትመኝ የሚለው ከሌላይቱ ትእዛዝ ሁሉ ጋር በዚህ፦ ባልንጀራህን እንደ ነፍስህ ውደድ በሚለው ቃል ተጠቅልሎአል። ፍቅር ለባልንጀራው ክፉ አያደርግም፤ ስለዚህ ፍቅር የሕግ ፍጻሜ ነው።" This verse teaches that love fulfills the law and does no harm.

1 John 3:15: "ወንድሙን የሚጠላ ሁሉ ነፍሰ ገዳይ ነው፥ ነፍሰ ገዳይም የሆነ ሁሉ የዘላለም ሕይወት በእርሱ እንዳይኖር ታውቃላችሁ"  This verse equates hatred (ጥላቻ) with murder.

The Church Fathers repeated and expanded upon these biblical teachings, emphasizing the gravity of violence and the need for love and compassion.

St. John Chrysostom states "What is more terrible than the murder of a child? It is the murder of the image of God." Chrysostom also taught the importance of protecting the innocent (ንጹሐን) and opposing all forms of violence.

St. Augustine taught that "There is no sin more grievous than that which marks the soul with the blood of innocence," viewing such acts as direct damage to the peace and order intended by God.

In summary, Orthodox Christian Ethics, rooted in the teachings of Christ and the Church Fathers, view brutal violence as a manifestation of sin and the influence of evil. Such acts are a profound distortion of human nature, which is created in the image of God. The Church calls on the faithful for repentance, transformation, and a commitment to living in accordance with God’s commandments, reflecting His love and holiness in all aspects of life.

 

Understanding “የጌታ ወንድሞችና እኅቶች” in the Holy Bible: EOTC Perspective, Part I

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) possesses a clear interpretation of the concept of “የጌታ ወንድሞችና እኅቶች” articulated in biblical texts. The Church clarifies that the term “የጌታ ወንድሞችና እኅቶች” does not refer to the biological children of Mary, the mother of Christ the Lord.

In Matthew 13:54-55 it is written: “ወደ ገዛ አገሩም መጥቶ እስኪገረሙ ድረስ በምኩራባቸው ያስተምራቸው ነበር፤ እንዲህም አሉ፦ ይህን ጥበብና ተአምራት ይህ ከወዴት አገኘው? ይህ የጸራቢ ልጅ አይደለምን? እናቱስ ማርያም ትባል የለምን? ወንድሞቹስ ያዕቆብና ዮሳ ስምዖንም ይሁዳም አይደሉምን?”

Some readers mistakenly interpret that the mother of "ወንድሞቹስ" mentioned in the verse above is the same as Mary, the mother of Christ, which leads them to the idea that she had other children. However, a closer examination of the Scriptures reveals the following insights.

In Matthew 27:55-56 it reads: “ኢየሱስን እያገለገሉ ከገሊላ የተከተሉት ብዙ ሴቶች በሩቅ ሆነው ሲመለከቱ በዚያ ነበሩ፤ ከእነርሱም መግደላዊት ማርያምና የያዕቆብና የዮሳ እናት ማርያም የዘብዴዎስም የልጆቹ እናት ነበሩ።”

Here, there are two women named Mary and one other woman:

1. መግደላዊት ማርያም (Mary Magdalene)
2. የያዕቆብና የዮሳ እናት ማርያም (Mary, the mother of James and Joses)
3. የዘብዴዎስ የልጆቹ እናት (The mother of the sons of Zebedee)

Similarly, Mark 15:40-41 states: “ሴቶችም ደግሞ በሩቅ ሆነው ይመለከቱ ነበር፤ ከእነርሱም በገሊላ ሳለ ይከተሉትና ያገለግሉት የነበሩ መግደላዊት ማርያም የታናሹ ያዕቆብና የዮሳም እናት ማርያም ሰሎሜም ነበሩ፡፡”

Again here, two Marys and another woman, Salome, are mentioned.

1. መግደላዊት ማርያም (Mary Magdalene)
2. የታናሹ ያዕቆብና የዮሳም እናት ማርያም (Mary, the mother of James the Less and Joses)
3. ሰሎሜ (Salome)

Finally, Luke 24:10 states: "ይህንም ለሐዋርያት የነገሩአቸው መግደላዊት ማርያምና ዮሐና የያዕቆብም እናት ማርያም ከእነርሱም ጋር የነበሩት ሌሎች ሴቶች ነበሩ::”

Here, we also encounter two Marys, Joanna and other women:

1. መግደላዊት ማርያም (Mary Magdalene)
2. ዮሐና (Joanna)
3. የያዕቆብም እናት ማርያም (Mary, the mother of James)
4. ሌሎች ሴቶች (Other women)

Yet again, some individuals mistakenly interpret the verses above, asserting that Mary, the mother of ያዕቆብ and ዮሳ (James and Joses), is the same person as Mary, the mother of Christ, which leads them to claim that Mary, the mother of Christ, had other children.

However, this belief is not accurate, as the following verse clearly distinguishes Mary, the mother of Christ, from Mary, the wife of Cleophas (who is also the mother of ያዕቆብ and ዮሳ), and Mary Magdalene—all of whom are mentioned together in the same passage.

“ነገር ግን በኢየሱስ መስቀል አጠገብ እናቱ ፣ የእናቱም እኅት የቀለዮጳም ሚስት ማርያም ፣ መግደላዊት ማርያም ቆመው ነበር::”( John 19:25)

Mary, the wife of Cleophas (የቀለዮጳ ሚስት ማርያም), mentioned in John 19:25, is the same person as Mary, the mother of ያዕቆብ, ዮሳ, ስምዖን, and ይሁዳ, referenced in Matthew 13:54-55. Thus, the term “ወንድሞቹስ” as noted in Matthew 13:54-55—“እናቱስ ማርያም ትባል የለምን? ወንድሞቹስ ያዕቆብና ዮሳ ስምዖንም ይሁዳም አይደሉምን?”—refers to the children of Mary, the wife of Cleophas, not to Mary, the mother of Christ.

How did Mary, the wife of Cleophas, become known as the mother of ያዕቆብ, ዮሳ, ስምዖን, and ይሁዳ? The upcoming essay will explore this question in depth.